A Christmas Decision

Personal Blog - NOT a Reflections Blog

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I made a decision over the Christmas break... a spontaneous decision, a great decision, a life changing decision.

Unhappy with shuffling along in my chosen career, I felt that I needed a change. You see, I love imparting knowledge to people - that is why I became a museum curator. Over the years, I have conducted and participated in many workshops and education programs. Some of them exciting and others not so rewarding. In fact, I have literally fallen asleep during some presentations.

Why are so many courses boring? Do they address the different learning styles of people? Do course providers really think about the audience? How can we impart knowledge to the youth of today and make it interesting and relevant to the real world? I'd like to think that my mind is creative enough, but do I have all the skills necessary to become a really good educator?

I have three teenage children and have found their teachers to be among the most passionate and compassionate people that I know. I can see when my kids are engaged with a topic and I can definitely see when they are not. After conducting museum education programs, speaking at schools and participating in study tours and camps, I found that young people are so thirsty for knowledge. They become enthralled when material is presented in an imaginative manner... and then information becomes empowering.

Museums allow visitors to interact with stories through objects. They have been required to keep up with technology in order to engage their audiences and increase visitation in order to justify their existence. People want to see educational, contemporary and inspiring exhibitions. This is quite a challenge when interpreting historical-based collections. To place the words "history" and "contemporary" in the same context is a juxtaposition, but they can work together. The digital age creates an opportunity for imparting knowledge in new and creative ways.

Everyone loves to learn! For me, transferring knowledge and presenting people with the tools to discover more information for themselves is so rewarding. You know what? I think that I'll embark on a great new adventure.  My challenge as a secondary school history and humanities teacher will be to make the juxtaposition of "history" and "contemporary" no longer a cause for surprise. Let's start engaging Generation Z...!

ChangSchoolTalks 2015: Generation Z